Homelessness and Access to Health Care: Policy Options and Considerations
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.25071/1929-8404.34701Abstract
This paper was prepared for a course on Canadian health policy. It analyses the current health situation of the homeless population in Canada, along with the characteristics of health care use among members of this group. A focus is placed on the barriers to accessing health care that are often experienced by homeless individuals. The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the various policy options that may work to effectively address the unique health issues of the homeless population. There are severe inequalities in the experiences of health of this group – and with a growing population of homeless individuals in Canada comes a growing need to work towards creating interventions that will reduce homelessness and improve health. This paper will highlight that action cannot only come from those in the health policy sector for results to be lasting – efforts need to come from actors involved in all sectors.
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